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Query: UMLS:C0004153 (atherosclerosis)
 77,401 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Several pieces of evidence suggest that vascular endothelium may be a site of latent herpetic viral infection, and that activation of such infection might cause or aggravate atherosclerosis. The present studies which utilized HSV-1 infection of cultured endothelial monolayers, provide insights into two phenomena seemingly relevant in considerations of atherosclerosis. Thus, mechanisms are reported by which infected endothelium may be damaged by marginated inflammatory cells, and be transformed from an anticoagulant to a procoagulant tissue. First, granulocytes are attracted to, and avidly bind, endothelium infected for very brief periods. This interaction is associated with denudation of intact cells as well as actual cytolysis through release of PMN proteases and toxic oxygen species. Second, several potentially additive abnormalities of HSV-infected endothelium would seem to foster coagulation. These include: a) its loss of surface heparans and thrombomodulin; b) its inability to synthesize prostacyclin with associated incapacity to deter platelet adhesion; c) its disordered membrane lipid conformation which is likely associated with excessive surface thrombin generation; and d) its unique ability to generate and release tissue factor. We speculate that mechanical abrasion may reactivate latent herpes (HSV or CMV) infection in endothelial cells particularly those exposed to high shear forces--for instance, at vessel bifurcations. This may underlie the endothelial damage, clotting and atheroma formation commonly found at these sites.
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PMID:Herpes virus infection of endothelium: new insights into atherosclerosis. 132 3

Previous results, presented in abstract form, indicate that replacement of thromboplastin with a mixture of phospholipid and truncated soluble tissue factor apoprotein results in a coagulation assay that can directly measure plasma factor VIIa levels without interference from zymogen factor VII (Atherosclerosis Thromb 11:1544a, 1991 [abstr]). We have exploited the specificity and sensitivity of such a factor VIIa specific coagulation assay to directly assess the in vivo relationship of factor VIII and factor IX on the production of factor VIIa levels under nonthrombotic and nonstimulatory conditions. Normal individuals (n = 20) were found to possess an average circulating factor VIIa level corresponding to 4.34 +/- 1.57 ng/mL, or approximately 1% of their total factor VII antigen. Severe factor VIII deficient patients (n = 13) possessed a slightly lower but statistically significant (P less than .01) decrease in their basal factor VIIa levels (2.69 +/- 1.52 ng/mL), corresponding to approximately 60% of that observed in normal individuals. On the other hand, severe factor IX deficient patients (n = 7) were found to possess even lower levels of factor VIIa corresponding to 0.33 +/- 0.15 ng/mL, or less than 10% of that observed in normal individuals. Measurement of total factor VII antigen levels shows that the variation in basal factor VIIa levels stems from differences in the degree of factor VII activation as opposed to differences in factor VII antigen levels. Our present data are consistent with the hypothesis that factor IXa is the principal in vivo activator of factor VII under basal conditions.
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PMID:Measurement of basal levels of factor VIIa in hemophilia A and B patients. 146 30

Tissue factor (TF) which initiates clotting process can be expressed by stimulated endothelial cells (EC). TF is an apolipoprotein requiring an association with phospholipids (PL) in order to become active. Also PL constitute an important storage pool of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in EC which can be modulated by diet or cell medium supplementation. In order to test the effect of such manipulation upon TF activity, we have pre-enriched human EC cultures with different fatty acids of nutritional interest. TF was evaluated after 4 h of thrombin stimulation by using a chromogenic method. Without additional stimulating agents, these acids have no effect on the basal level of TF. Eicosapentaenoic and docosapentaenoic acids appeared to be ineffective at the stimulated TF level. Only adrenic acid (22:4(n-6)) has been found to significantly enhance TF activity of thrombin-stimulated endothelial cells. Other TF inducers were also tested after 22:4(n-6) enrichment. An increase tendency of TF expression was found only with tumor necrosis factor, whereas interleukin-1 beta, lipopolysaccharide and especially phorbol myristate acetate stimulations were not significantly modified. The priming effect of adrenic acid on thrombin stimulated TF expression might involve alterations of signal transduction pathways rather than modifications of apolipoprotein III environment. Adrenic acid, which is a prostacyclin inhibitor, appears to be potential prothrombotic agent.
Atherosclerosis 1992 Jul
PMID:Priming effect of adrenic acid (22:4(n-6)) on tissue factor activity expressed by thrombin-stimulated endothelial cells. 164 92

We have studied the procoagulant activity (PCA) of blood and spleen mononuclear phagocytes and the thrombomodulin activity of aortic segments in rabbits fed an atherogenic diet for 6 weeks as compared to rabbits fed a standard diet. Blood monocytes expressed negligible basal PCA (i.e., PCA measured immediately after cell isolation) both in treated and control rabbits. PCA induced by endotoxin in vitro was not different in the two groups. In contrast, dietary treatment resulted in a significant increase in the basal PCA of spleen cells (p less than 0.01). Moreover, the latter produced significantly more PCA than control cells (p less than 0.002) in response to endotoxin in vitro. The thrombomodulin activity associated with aortic endothelium was not different in the two groups of animals despite the presence of visible fatty streaks on the aortic endothelium of treated rabbits. When rabbits were given a single injection of endotoxin, spleen mononuclear phagocytes harvested 60 min after the injection from treated animals expressed three times more PCA (p less than 0.01) than did cells from controls. In all instances PCA was identified as tissue factor. Endotoxin injection did not affect the thrombomodulin activity of thoracic aorta from both control and diet groups. It is suggested that dietary fats may cause early functional changes in mononuclear phagocytes that lead to an increased PCA production both in vivo and in vitro. These data may be relevant to an understanding of the role of monocytes-macrophages in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Increased macrophage procoagulant activity but normal endothelial thrombomodulin in rabbits fed an atherogenic diet. 215 50

Latent infection of vascular cells with herpes-viruses may play a pathogenic role in the development of human atherosclerosis. In a previous study, we found that cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) infected with herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) became procoagulant, exemplified both by their enhanced assembly of the prothrombinase complex and by their inability to reduce adhesion of platelets. We now report two further procoagulant consequences of endothelial HSV infection: loss of surface thrombomodulin (TM) activity and induction of synthesis of tissue factor. Within 4 hr of infection of HUVECs, TM activity measured by thrombin-dependent protein C activation declined 21 +/- 3% (P less than 0.05) and by 18 hr, 48 +/- 5% (P less than 0.001). Similar significant TM decrements accompanied infection of bovine aortic endothelial cells. Identical TM loss was induced with HSV-2 infection but not with adenovirus infection. Decreased surface expression of TM antigen (measured by the specific binding of a polyclonal antibody to bovine TM) closely paralleled the loss of TM activity. As examined by Northern blotting, these losses apparently reflected rapid onset (within 4 hr of HSV infection) loss of mRNA for TM. In contrast, HSV infection induced a viral-dose-dependent increase in synthesis of tissue factor protein, adding to the procoagulant state. The results indicate that loss of endothelial protein-synthetic capacity is not a universal effect of HSV infection. We suggest that the procoagulant state induced by reduction in TM activity and amplified tissue factor activity accompanying HSV infection of endothelium could contribute to deposition of thrombi on atherosclerotic plaques and to the "coagulant-necrosis" state that characterizes HSV-infected mucocutaneous lesions.
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PMID:Infection of vascular endothelial cells with herpes simplex virus enhances tissue factor activity and reduces thrombomodulin expression. 216 19

Embolization of thrombi from ulcerated plaques is an important cause of morbidity from atherosclerotic carotid artery disease. Factors controlling thrombus formation on these lesions are not well understood. Macrophages were isolated from atherosclerotic plaques to assess their potential to promote local fibrin deposition. Plaques were collected from 11 patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy and 9 patients undergoing reconstructive procedures for atherosclerotic disease of their distal aorta or femoral arteries. Blood was also collected concurrently to isolate monocytes. Procoagulant activity (PCA) of carotid macrophages (8.6 +/- 4.1 mU/10(6) cells) was significantly higher than that of macrophages from non-carotid lesions (0.35 +/- 0.20 mU/10(6) cells; P less than 0.05) or blood monocytes from either group of patients. The PCA of carotid plaque macrophages from patients with recent emboli was 16.1 +/- 8.4 mU/10(6) cells (n = 5) compared to 2.4 +/- 0.8 mU/10(6) cells (n = 6) for plaque macrophages from assymptomatic carotid endarterectomy patients. Carotid macrophage PCA was factor V and factor VII dependent. Its functional activity was inhibited by an anti-tissue factor antibody, and immunohistochemical studies on tissue sections from carotid plaques showed tissue factor in areas where macrophages were abundant. These studies demonstrate that macrophages within carotid artery plaques have augmented procoagulant activity compared with blood monocytes and macrophages from other atherosclerotic lesions and indicate that carotid plaque macrophages are activated. Augmented macrophage PCA may contribute to thrombus formation on ulcerated plaques.
Atherosclerosis 1989 Oct
PMID:Procoagulant activity expression by macrophages from atheromatous vascular plaques. 259 31

A 66-year-old man with homozygous deficiency of factor VII (less activity than 4 percent of normal) had a minimal hemorrhagic tendency and severe coronary atherosclerosis, and underwent aortocoronary saphenous vein bypass surgery. Although plasma factor VII coagulant activity and cross-reacting material were markedly reduced, comparable amounts of factor VII antigen were detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of both the patient and of a normal subject by Western blotting techniques. Accelerated coagulation was observed following brief exposure of the patient's phytohemagglutinin-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells to low concentrations of ambient factor VII in vitro. Evidence indicates that factor VII plays a role in vivo in both hemostasis and atherogenesis and it might be assumed that factor VII deficiency would both predispose to excessive bleeding and forestall atherosclerosis. However, these observations suggest that factor VII-mediated thrombin generation may proceed by partitioning of small amounts of factor VII on tissue factor-expressing cells and that factor VII contained within monocytes may facilitate tissue factor-induced coagulation by these cells. These features may provide efficient coagulation activation despite a deficiency of the plasma coagulant protein. The current results may explain, at least in part, the minimal bleeding tendency, and also the occurrence of thrombosis and atherosclerosis in certain persons with factor VII deficiency.
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PMID:Atherosclerosis and coronary bypass surgery in hereditary factor VII deficiency. 325 74

The procoagulant response of endothelium to pathophysiological agents such as tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) alters the expression of proteins such as tissue factor. The modulation of such procoagulant activity (PCA) by the polyunsaturated fatty acid arachidonic acid (20:4,n-6) and its 15-hydroperoxy (15-HPETE) and 15-hydroxy (15-HETE) metabolites was examined since this may have important implications in cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis. Treatment of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) for 30 min with 20:4, 15-HPETE or 15-HETE before induction of PCA with TNF alpha (100 U) or PMA (10(-7) M) caused a significant inhibition of PCA. This inhibition was seen at 2-5 microM fatty acids. Dose response curves with TNF alpha indicated that the inhibition was greatest at higher concentrations of TNF alpha (> or = 250U TNF alpha/ml). The mode of administration of the fatty acid was not critical as fatty acids presented as DPC-fatty acid micelles or solubilised in ethanol gave similar inhibitions of PCA. 20:4, 15-HPETE or 15-HETE did not alter the binding of I125-labelled TNF alpha to its surface receptors on HUVEC, suggesting that the effect of these fatty acids was not mediated by events at the cell surface receptor level. In support of this, these fatty acids were found to inhibit PCA induced by PMA which bypasses cell surface receptors to activate protein kinase C directly.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Atherosclerosis 1995 Jul
PMID:Inhibitory effects of arachidonic acid (20:4,n-6) and its monohydroperoxy- and hydroxy-metabolites on procoagulant activity in endothelial cells. 748 27

Binding of plasma Factor VII/VIIa to the tissue factor (TF) receptor initiates the coagulation protease cascades. TF expression by circulating monocytes is associated with thrombotic and inflammatory complications in a variety of diseases. Transcriptional activation of the human TF gene in monocytic cells exposed to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is mediated by binding of c-Rel/p65 heterodimers to a kappa B site in the TF promoter. Here, we report that a family of anti-inflammatory agents, known as the salicylates, inhibited LPS induction of TF activity and TF gene transcription in human monocytes and monocytic THP-1 cells at clinically relevant doses. Furthermore, sodium salicylate blocked the LPS-induced proteolytic degradation of I kappa B alpha, which prevented the nuclear translocation of c-Rel/p65 heterodimers. In contrast, two other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, ibuprofen and indomethacin, did not inhibit LPS induction of the TF gene. These results indicated that salicylates inhibited LPS induction of TF gene transcription in monocytic cells by preventing nuclear translocation of c-Rel/p65 heterodimers. The clinical benefits of salicylates in the treatment of several diseases, including atherosclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, may be related to their ability to reduce monocyte gene expression.
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PMID:Salicylates inhibit lipopolysaccharide-induced transcriptional activation of the tissue factor gene in human monocytic cells. 749 71

Endothelial functions have been paid much attention in the interaction between blood and vascular wall and their functional aterations play an important role in the development and progression of thrombosis and atherosclerosis. In this paper two topics in these fields, namely, the in vivo expression of tissue factor by endothelial cells as well as macrophages in hepatic sinusoids of rats and rabbits with endotoxemia, and the angiogenic mechanism in atherosclerotic intima of human coronary arteries and its pathophysiological significance, would be reviewed mainly based on our data obtained by immunohistochemical and biochemical examinations and molecular analyses.
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PMID:[Vascular endothelial system--from the pathological aspects]. 751 88


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